The Scout Report -- Volume 19, Number 29

The Scout Report -- Volume 19, Number 29

The Scout Report

July 19, 2013 -- Volume 19, Number 29

A Publication of Internet Scout
Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison




Research and Education

  Gene You: Genetics and Inheritance
  Atlas of Urban Expansion
  Harvard Business Review
  Science 360 News Service
  Theodore Roosevelt: His Life and Times on Film
  Cell Biology Online Videos
  The Sacred Heart Review
  American Geosciences Institute Education: Earth Sciences

General Interest

  Chicago, 1900-1914
  Post
  USGS: California Water Science Center
  University of Georgia Cooperative Extension
  American Planning Association: Blogs
  September 11 Television Archive
  The Field Museum: Insects, Arachnids and Myriapods Collections
  The Chicago Reporter

Network Tools

  Tweegram
  Share My Screen Pro

In the News

  London's sewers, symbol of Victorian engineering prowess, remain a key part of the city's infrastructure



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Research and Education

Gene You: Genetics and Inheritance

·http://www.bioedonline.org/lessons-and-more/resource-collections/gene-you-genetics-and-inheritance/

How do gene patterns affect our lives? Geneticists learn new things everyday about such matters and young people (and others) can bask in this fascinating knowledge via the Baylor College of Medicine's Gene You project. Funding for the project comes from the Science Education Partnership Award program at the National Institutes of Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The content includes a wide variety of genetics and genomics based resources for educators, including complete undergraduate courses, video and slide presentations and related materials. In the Genetics/Genomics courses area, visitors can take four courses, including "Key Advances in Genetics" and "Seminal Experiments in Genetics." Moving along, the Related Video and Slide Presentations area features multimedia explorations of evolutionary theory, cloning and inherited traits. The site also includes Nature News Stories, which includes dozens of relevant news articles culled from Nature News. [KMG]


Atlas of Urban Expansion

·http://www.lincolninst.edu/subcenters/atlas-urban-expansion/

How have cities grown over time? Answers to this important question are provided in visual form via the Lincoln Land Institute's Atlas of Urban Expansion. This resource "provides the geographic and quantitative dimensions of urban expansion and its key attributes in cities the world over." Visitors to the site should start their own exploration by looking at "Making Room for a Planet of Cities," a policy report that examines how the world has become heavily urbanized over the past few decades. Much of the material within the Atlas can be found in the five sections presented on the left toolbar of this site. They include Section2: A Representative Sample of 30 Cities, 1800-2000 and Section 3: Urban and National Data. The most incredible section here is Section5: Google Earth Data for the Universe of 3646 Cities. It is a remarkable look at the accuracy of various maps portraying the world's primary cities in a variety of settings. Overall, this site is an invaluable resource for planners, demographers, policy folks, and anyone interested in the urban condition. [KMG]


Harvard Business Review

·http://hbr.org/magazine

As what is arguably one of the most well-known business publications in the world, the Harvard Business Review is a key source of information for policy makers, financiers, government officials, and journalists. While not all of their content is available for free here, their website offers enough free material to make it a valuable online destination. First-time visitors can browse their Must Reads, which are prominently featured on the homepage. These offerings are divided into areas that include Leadership, Strategy, Managing Yourself, and Change Management. Moving along, visitors should also look over the Blogs area containing excellent posts with titles like "Should Barnes & Noble Turn into a Mini-Mall" and "Disengaged Employees? Do Something About it." There is more free content over at the Audio & Video area where visitors can view high-quality videos on urban sustainability, emerging markets, and the booming business of craft cocktails. [KMG]


Science 360 News Service

·http://news.science360.gov/files/

The Science 360 News Service gathers news "from wherever science is happening." It is a valuable service sponsored by the National Science Foundation featuring video clips, interviews, and solid news reporting. On their homepage, visitors can look over Today's Video, which might feature anything from a nanosponge that can soak up oil spills to new carbon forms. After that, visitors should head on over to the Breaking Story area of the site, which profiles a new story from the world of science. The section What the Blogs Are Saying Today is a great way to stay up to date with breaking science news, as it brings together the latest from NPR, Earthsky, Scientific American, and other high quality resources. Visitors can also click on the Sections heading which includes hundreds of photographs, news videos, and links to a world of other science news sites. [KMG]


Theodore Roosevelt: His Life and Times on Film

·http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/troosevelt_film/

When you think of President Theodore Roosevelt, you might not think of many major film appearances. He certainly wasn't in any dramatic motion pictures, but his everyday life was chronicled on a large scale by several motion picture companies. From the Spanish-American War in 1898 to his death in 1919, this collection from the American Memory project at the Library of Congress offers up 87 films from the Theodore Roosevelt Association Collection. These include views of contemporary world figures, politicians, monarchs, and friends. First-time visitors should check out the two featured essays: "T.R. On Film" and "Sound Recordings of T.R.'s Voice." The Timeline is a great way to navigate all of the films, and visitors can also browse the collection by title or subject. Two films that shouldn't be missed are "Terrible Teddy, the Grizzly King" from 1901 and "TR with Rough Rider Friends." [KMG]


Cell Biology Online Videos

·http://ibioseminars.hhmi.org/lectures/cell-bio-a-med.html

The iBioSeminars are dedicated to bringing the world's best biology to you. They do deliver, and these lectures can be used in the classroom or for personal edification. On this site, visitors can find over a dozen lectures by professors from the University of Utah, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, MIT, and other schools. Lectures include Tissue Engineering, Fruits of the Genome Sequence, and Bacteriophages: Genes and Genomes. Each lecture has a series of extras that may include a speaker bio, related scientific articles, teaching tools, or the option to include subtitles. Visitors are encouraged to share the videos with others and as a whole, they present a wealth of information that is both scholarly and accessible to a wide range of people. [KMG]


The Sacred Heart Review

·http://newspapers.bc.edu/cgi-bin/bostonsh?a=cl&cl=CL1.BOSTONSH&e=-------en-20--1--txt-IN-----#.T4OEGlUqivI.bitly

A few years ago, an enterprising librarian at the Boston College Libraries noticed a number of dusty folios in the Theology and Ministry Library. As it turned out, these folios contained the Sacred Heart Review, which was published from 1888 to 1916. This newspaper was edited by the Revered John O'Brien, pastor of the Sacred Heart Church in East Cambridge. Most certainly not a church bulletin, this publication was a full-fledged newspaper devoted to local, national, and international news. The true heart of the journal was reporting on events within the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Boston, as well as greater New England. The articles here include pieces on encyclicals from Pope Benedict XV, the loyalty of German Americans in World War I, and a number of advertisements for local products, including patent medicines and various services. Visitors can search all 1547 issues of the Review, and they are also encouraged to look over each edition for items of interest. [KMG]


American Geosciences Institute Education: Earth Sciences

·http://www.agiweb.org/geoeducation.html

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) has created a number of professional resources to educate persons young and old about geology and its many subfields. New users might do well to check out the Watt's Up? The Lowdown on Energy resource, designed to answer current questions such as how can we best locate and capture energy resources? Visitors can click on one of nine areas (including Geothermal and Nuclear) to learn how each of these energy resources is used around the world. Next up is the Big Ideas in Earth Sciences series on their YouTube channel. Each Big Idea segment features a five-minute video ranging from “Earth Scientists Study Our Planet" to "Humans Change Earth." These videos can be used in the classroom to get young people excited about geology and are quite compelling. Finally, the site also has a link to the NASA Triad teacher professional development guide, which can be used to conduct workshops for fellow educators on geoscience, technology and engineering content. [KMG]


General Interest

Chicago, 1900-1914

·http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/collections/maps/chi1900/

What was Chicago like in the first decade or so of the twentieth century? More importantly, how was it mapped? This rather engaging map collection from the University of Chicago Library offers up almost two dozen maps documenting the railroads, parks, and rapid transit system of the Windy City as it existed during that frenetic time. Visitors can zoom in and out around these maps looking for details such as boulevards, El stations, and other bits and pieces of the built environment. For the casual user, the "School Map of Chicago" from 1914 is well worth a look, as is the "map of the business center of the city of Chicago" from 1905. This marvelous resource is not only a lens into the history of Chicago, but into the world of urban studies, geography, sociology, and transit history. [KMG]


Post

·http://post.at.moma.org/

What is this thing, this Post? It is a platform for critical response, and a constantly evolving space for sharing research and testing ideas. Post was created by staff members at the Museum of Modern Art in New York to allow people to share texts, images, and videos in the hope that "multiple narratives of art's histories emerge." Along the top section of the homepage, users will find areas like Contents, Themes, Latest, and Participants. Browsing the Themes area. visitors can look over posts on the Fluxus network that existed between New York and Tokyo in the 1960s or the intriguing post examining how archival artworks form a key part of museum culture. Moving on, the Latest area includes a few gems, including mediations on the spatial poems of Shiomi Mieko and a reflection on the term "Latin American Conceptualism." As another consideration, passers-by are also encouraged to leave their own thoughts on each of these intriguing contemplations of what "modern" art means. [KMG]


USGS: California Water Science Center

·http://ca.water.usgs.gov/

The California Water Science Center (CAWSC) is one of 48 water science centers in the water resources discipline of the United States Geological Survey. Their mission is to collect, analyze, and disseminate the impartial hydrologic data and information needed to wisely manage water resources for the people of the United States and the State of California. On their website, visitors can look over sections that include Projects, Publications, Water Data, Webcams, and Information Requests. The Projects area is a great resource and it contains direct links to water availability studies in the Cuyama Valley, mercury studies across the state, and reconnaissance analysis works. The Water Data area contains links to real time streamflow conditions, water quality updates, and the USGS data mapper, which has dynamic real time displays of spring sites and more across the state. Also, the site includes eight webcams that document conditions at places like Mission Creek in Santa Barbara and the Ventura River. [KMG]


University of Georgia Cooperative Extension

·http://extension.uga.edu/about/services/teachers.cfm

The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension program is designed to help educators teach their students about the environment, chronic diseases, physical activity, and much more. Visitors can use the Find a Resource area to look over fact sheets, field studies, lesson plans, programs, and publications. The fact sheets include well-thought out primers on energy conservation and sustainable agriculture. The lesson plans feature over 100 classroom resources designed for grades K-12 that deal with food science, public health, food safety, and drought in Georgia. The site is rounded out by the publications area, which features a number of publications ranging from backyard gardening to water conservation and soil testing. [KMG]


American Planning Association: Blogs

·http://www.planning.org/multimedia/blogs/

For planners, urbanologists, architects, and city officials, the American Planning Association's website is always worth a look. Not surprisingly, their blogs are top-notch and all of them are available here. All told, there are five blogs: Policy News for Planners, Recovery News, Sustaining Places, Kids Planning Toolbox, and Creative Chicago. The Sustaining Places blog is a great place to start and contains thoughtful posts on solar panels, sustainable design in the developing world, and so on. Visitors can also look through the posts by tags, which include art, audits, bicycling, campus, Brazil, and other topics. The Kids Planning Toolbox blog contains commentary on how to get young people involved with planning, complete with a link to a very fun game called Plan it Green: The Big Switch, which helps children learn how to plan a model green city. Of course the Policy News blog should be a mainstay of any planner’s news diet and it can be followed via RSS feed for convenience. [KMG]


September 11 Television Archive

·http://archive.org/details/sept_11_tv_archive

Making sense of the recent past can be difficult and, at times, quite painful. This moving and historically significant collection from the Internet Archive brings together hundreds of hours of television coverage from the events surrounding September 11, 2001. The materials were originally recorded live by the non-profit Television Archive and are organized in a fashion that is quite easy to use. The September 11: Program Guide has chronological coverage organized by the major networks, including the BBC and CNN. Visitors can dip into each segment here and also move on to the Chronology of Events. This area contains a brief overview of the events of that day, along with those of September 12th and 13th. Overall, the site is a fascinating way to think about these difficult events and for those with an interest in broadcast journalism, it is particularly useful. [KMG]


The Field Museum: Insects, Arachnids and Myriapods Collections

·http://fieldmuseum.org/explore/department/zoology/insects/collections

As one of the most distinguished science institutions in the United States, the Field Museum in Chicago has over 4.1 million preserved insects in its collection. It is the fifth largest collection in North America and it also includes 8.3 million specimens preserved in alcohol or on microscopic slides. On this site, visitors can search these vast holdings, which are divided into six separate areas. Users should note that each collection contains a brief description, which can help orient them to the most useful area. In each collection, visitors can search by scientific name, tribe, subfamily, family, order, region, country, or date collected. It's a very powerful way to navigate such collections. It's an amazing resource that will come in handy for scientists and the generally curious. [KMG]


The Chicago Reporter

·http://www.chicagoreporter.com/

Founded in 1972, the Chicago Reporter is an investigative news organization that publishes a bimonthly magazine that ”identifies, analyzes, and reports on the social, economic, and political issues of metropolitan Chicago with a distinctive focus on race and poverty.” On their website, visitors can learn more about their work via blogs, past issues, and a variety of multimedia features. A good place to start is the Most Read articles area, which contains links to their most popular pieces. The Key Issues section is a good place to learn about the matters most dear to the mission of the Reporter, which include housing, immigration, health, and religion. Anyone who would like to hear from the Reporter on a regular basis can sign up for email alerts as well. Finally, the site also contains a link to Departments with web extras like interactive features on Chicago's vacant buildings, the struggle against blight, and public school reform. [KMG]


Network Tools

Tweegram

·https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.natrobit.tweegram

Have you ever wanted to share text messages with friends and others on social networks? Tweegram makes this possible and visitors can customize their messages with images and other bells and whistles. The site includes an FAQ area and visitors will need to be running Android 2.2 and newer on their device. [KMG]


Share My Screen Pro

·http://www.share-my-screen-pro.com/

If you work with people all over the country or the world, it can be hard to share information and visuals quickly. Share My Screen Pro allows users to do just that, complete with two way audio and instant messaging. Visitors can watch a short video here to get oriented and after that, it's rather easy to get started with the program. This version is compatible with all computers running Windows 2000 and newer. [KMG]


In the News

London's sewers, symbol of Victorian engineering prowess, remain a key part of the city's infrastructure

London's sewers: subterranean dreams
http://www.economist.com/blogs/blighty/2013/07/londons-sewers

In London's Sewers: Less Pollution and A Smelly Form of Energy
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/05/28/in-londons-sewers-less-pollution-and-a-smelly-form-of-energy/

Below the waste line: Inside London's sewer system
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/video/2010/dec/02/london-sewers-thames-water

History of London: Sir Joseph Bazalgette and London's Sewers
http://www.history.co.uk/explore-history/history-of-london/how-londoners-stopped-drinking-sewage.html

London Sewers & London's Main Drainage
http://www.sub-urban.com/

John Snow
http://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/snow.html

What goes on beneath the streets of London? Are there secret artist colonies? Could there be lots of interesting late night fetes? It's hard to know for sure, but one thing is most certain: There are sewers. The city's vast networks of sewers stretch for over 550 miles, and that's just in the city proper. The system was originally built between 1859 and 1870 by Victorian-era engineering icon Joseph Bazalgette and his team of experts. What is most amazing is that the system still works fairly well, but it is beginning to show its age. The system was originally designed to accommodate around 4 million people. Now, London's population is creeping toward 8 million. Not surprisingly, more raw sewage exits the system on a regular basis and people, of course, consume copious amounts of water via washing machines, showers, and so on. There are plans afoot already to combat this problem, including the construction of new tidal sewage treatment works. The big game-changer may be the Thames Tideway Tunnel, which was given the go-ahead in 2007. It's a major project (the plan is 90000 pages long) and it will have to get approval from 24 separate government councils before the project starts in earnest. [KMG]

The first link will take interested parties to a brief update on London's sewers, courtesy of The Economist's Blighty blog. The second link will lead users to a recent post from the National Geographic's News Watch about the upcoming changes to London's sewers. The third link will take visitors to a video feature from the Guardian newspaper on how amalgamations of illegally dumped cooking oil and wet wipes can lead to blockages and flooding in the system. Moving on, the fourth link leads to a nice overview of Joseph Bazalgette's tremendous work crafting this elaborate network of sewers. The fifth link will take visitors to another site that provides details on how London's sewers work, their history, and proposed new projects to improve their operations. The final link leads to a very nice site about the famous public health pioneer and scientist, John Snow, whose work in London transformed our understanding of how diseases such as cholera could be spread via contaminated water and the like.





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